The town's buildings are typically around five stories, much like rural homes—each household has its own residence. Even though the household registration lists only two or three people, the actual homes often span four or five stories, plus a large courtyard. The comfort of living here surpasses that of urban areas. "Hmm, you still have a chance. Give me a list of bribery cases involving officials from Songhai or Jiangnan Province, and I'll reveal the truth from back then. Of course, this time you'll have to return to the Ling Realm." The Master of Zheng Sha gently lifted the corner of her red-lipped smile. "Have you finished? Then go ahead— I don't like to waste time talking to madmen." The King of the Mage's Eyes glanced down at the town, then arched an eyebrow. "Do you really intend to fight me right here? Hmph, isn't this exactly the method I've used against Songhai's branch? Well, I suppose it's not very sophisticated—easy for me to make the first move, while others have to follow suit." As he spoke, the red light in his eyes flared suddenly bright. A crack appeared at the corner of his mouth, and his smile gradually twisted into something fierce and charged with battle resolve. "How many moves do you think it will take to kill me? Will the townspeople be affected?" *Boom!* A burst of red lines erupted behind the Master of Zheng Sha, weaving through the air like delicate, living tendrils. Her soft, silver-bell-like laughter echoed through the night: "A small town? Are you certain this is a town? Open your three eyes and take a good look—oh, I forgot, your eyes cannot penetrate the illusions crafted by the Void Weavers." The King of the Mage-Eyes stiffened, his cracked smile slowly fading. The Lady Master of Stilled Kill continued: "The targets you've been pursuing—mere puppets I've created, living, breathing ones. Even your sentinels dispatched to track me—I've eliminated them. So, tell me, why haven't I erased your marks yet? Why am I still talking at length instead of fleeing immediately?" The King of the Mage-Eyes' determination and fury froze completely. "Ha ha ha!" The Lady Master of Stilled Kill laughed, her laughter so vibrant it made her limbs tremble and her body sway from side to side. "Even now, you've reached this moment, Mage-Eyes—I've just snapped my fingers, and your fate is sealed." She raised her snowy, lotus-like arm and snapped her fingers with a crisp "啪." The King of the Mystic Eyes felt his heart tremble, his gaze momentarily blurred, emotions of pessimism, despair, and frustration surging within him. Highly skilled musicians often require only the most simple forms of hypnosis. Tailored to the situation, a straightforward few words can subtly and imperceptibly hypnotize an opponent, influencing their intentions. Moreover, the clap serves as the signal to begin battle. At the very instant the Master of the Still-Death Palace claps, a bright stream of flame bursts from the horizon, carrying scorching heat, and strikes directly against the King of the Mystic Eyes atop the building. The elder from the Red Fire Clan arrived first. The flame crashes with a thunderous "boom" into the King of the Mystic Eyes, causing successive layers of the buildings beneath to collapse. The illusion shatters instantly—where the King of the Mystic Eyes had stood, there is now a towering tree. This tree, struck by the impact, has been completely reduced to ash. A deep crater forms at the site, within which stands the King of the Mystic Eyes, alongside an imposing elder—muscular, with red hair flowing over his shoulders. Huang, with a broad face, sharp brows, and a commanding presence, exudes the vigor of an ancient battlefield general leading charges. The red-haired elder kneels on the chest of the Mokuyan King, holding a long spear forged from coalesced flames, its tip aimed squarely at the vertical eye on the king's forehead, poised for a thrust. Scorch marks glisten vividly on the Mokuyan King's chest, his flesh torn and bloodied; his hands grip the spear tip tightly, yet no matter how hard the red-haired elder pushes, the spear fails to advance even an inch. Beneath them, the soil melts into brilliant, glowing magma. "Among the fire-thieves I've encountered, you still fall short," the Mokuyan King's vertical eye rotates with a low rumble, projecting beams of golden-red light. The red-haired elder's eyes flash with wild intensity; beneath his skin, muscle fibers rise and contract in waves, as though countless tiny insects are writhing within. This is a manifestation of blocked and turbulent inner power. Even a Fire Master at the Sovereign Realm cannot withstand the Mokuyan King's gaze without being affected. The Mago-eyes King suddenly exerted immense force in his palms, causing the flame spear to dissolve. He pressed his palms against the chest of the red-haired elder. "Ha!" A clear dragon's roar echoed throughout the heavens, shattering the illusion of evil. The red-haired elder suddenly awoke, his body then dispersing into myriad streams of flame, evading the King's attack. The flames coalesced at a distance, reforming the elder's form. Though his expression remained somewhat frenzied, his inner strength gradually stabilized under the effect of the dragon's roar. The Mago-eyes King leapt into the air, transforming into a shadow and rushing toward the zoo's main gate—his intent to escape. As he stepped out, a tide of crimson lines surged from the side, enveloping him completely. At the other end of the lines stood a breathtaking beauty. The Mago-eyes King showed no sentiment for preserving the beauty. He raised his arm, caught the myriad threads, wound them twice, then pulled with decisive force. "Crack!" The crimson lines snapped instantly. The Master of the Stop-Kill Palace swiftly pressed her hand seals, bestowing a second life upon the snapped red thread, restoring it to perfect condition and causing it to once again wrap around the King of the Magician's Eye. Yet the King of the Magician's Eye had already escaped the reach of the red thread, now approaching the zoo's main gate. "Wheeeee..." A piercing wind surged, whipping up a gale outside the zoo, sand and stones swirling in the air, trees around the perimeter snapping and falling. The second to arrive was Elder Luoshen of the Water Palace. She wore a layered, lotus-like black gown, a black lady's leather coat, her hair flowing freely, and a thin black veil covering her face. She rode the storm into the zoo. "Cough... cough... cough..." As the King of the Magician's Eye was about to exit the zoo, he suddenly felt a tickle in his throat, grew weak, and his complexion rapidly deteriorated. He was ill. The wind carried pathogens potent enough to kill even saints; while it could not immediately kill the King of the Magician's Eye, it temporarily weakened him. Seizing the moment, Elder Luoshen dissolved into a vast "Shh-shh-shh..." The cascading water waves surged against the Mago's body, engulfing him. At the same time, outside the zoo, a bright, daylight-like arc of light emerged—first appearing beyond the zoo's gates, and by the time its shape was clearly seen, it had already arrived at the Mago's side. Pff! The arc sliced through the water waves, striking the Mago's chest with a powerful force, splashing out vast amounts of blood. The Mago staggered backward. Outside the zoo, a middle-aged man clad in scales of fish armor, with a face as radiant as jade, held a bronze ancient sword and stepped steadily into the zoo. Then, a fluffy Teddy dog with a curly coat darted in, raised its paw, and powerfully struck. "Seal!" As the words fell, a vibrant emerald light curtain rose instantly, enveloping the entire zoo. The flowing water danced and swirled, coalescing into a dark gown and dark robe at a distance, forming a woman wearing a fine sand-patterned mask. She stood to the left of the Mago. The Lady of the Stilled Killing arrived on the wind, standing to the Behind him, a column of fire descended, revealing an elder with red hair within its glow. Further off, a figure veiled in a yellowish hue emerged from the ground, composed entirely of stone, hairless and featureless, exuding a heavy, imposing presence. The mage surveyed the gathered figures, lifting a corner of his mouth with a smile: "Interesting!" The bra is like a large eye mask, covering the baby's sparse head of downy hair, with the straps dangling beside his cheeks. It's both comical and charming. "Ah-ah-ah..." The infant spirit swiftly climbed onto the bed and presented the bra with a sense of pride. You truly haven't changed at all—why not just sneak your uncle's wallet instead? Zhang Yuanqing silently covered her face and casually tossed the bra aside by the pillow, continuing to wait for news. After presenting the bra, the infant spirit rolled off the bed with clear purpose and headed toward the gaming console. It lay down in front of the game controller, lifted a short finger, and gently pressed a button, then eagerly turned its gaze to the screen. The screen remained dark, not displaying any image—unlike what it had expected. The little one became increasingly anxious, crawling around the console several times before giving it a frustrated push, flipping it over. With a soft click, it gasped in surprise and quickly looked toward the bed. Seeing the owner unmoved, a look of relief spread across the infant spirit's face. With Zhang Yuanqing promoted to level three, the Ling Pu's intelligence has significantly improved, bringing about remarkable growth—yet his body remains unchanged, still that of an infant, destined to remain so if he perishes in infancy. In a state of mild boredom, Zhang Yuanqing picked up his inner garments and held them close to his nose, gently inhaling. He detected a subtle, delicate fragrance, along with the scent of bath soap. There was no doubt that the little duffer had been found in the bamboo basket by the bathroom. Since the previous incident involving the theft of his inner garments, he had become especially vigilant against any intentions to take them, now routinely washing them along with his clothes after bathing. "Only a few days have passed? Jiang Yu E truly remains unreliable—once again, she's been negligent..." Zhang Yuanqing resolved to quietly return the garments later. At the same time, a question arose in his mind: the little duffer seemed to have a special fondness for the garments he had worn. When Jiang Yu E failed to wash them properly tonight, he immediately snatched them. Yet, he never touched the clean garments stored in the wardrobe. A naive infant surely wouldn't have such extraordinary thoughts—what's wrong then? If it's due to the influence of the host, I still don't like that... At that moment, a slightly jarring bell rang through the quiet, dark bedroom, interrupting Zhang Yuanqing's thoughts. The screen displayed the name of the caller—Fu Qingyang! His heart tightened, his pulse racing. He sat up abruptly and eagerly answered, "Commander, do you have any updates?" A clear, composed voice came through the speaker: "The elders have captured the Eye of the Demon and are holding it captive at the zoo." Relief washed over Zhang Yuanqing—he exhaled slowly, deeply, feeling a sudden lightness in his body and mind, as if all his worries had vanished, and the world had become wonderfully serene. Then he caught a question from Fu Qingyang: "Captured?" "Why not simply kill him outright? Since we can capture him, we certainly can kill him. Capturing a Sovereign is far more difficult than killing him. Fu Qingyang explained: "The Magician-Eye is the Heavenly King of the Commander's Academy. We cannot kill him. If we do, it would be as if letting the tiger go free." "What does that mean?" Zhang Yuanqing didn't understand. Perhaps because Zhang Yuanqing had joined the White Tiger Guard, Fu Qingyang consistently demonstrated a willingness to share all he knew. "The Dog Elder mentioned that this is related to the rule-based artifact of the Chu family. The Heavenly King of the Commander's Academy has one chance to revive. And the revival site is where that artifact currently resides." The rule-based artifact of the Chu family—the one originally taken by the Commander's Academy? Zhang Yuanqing gritted his teeth. "Unfortunately, it's only one chance to revive. Wait—Commander, what if, during the time the Magician-Eye Heavenly King is imprisoned, he enters the Spiritual Realm?" Fu Qingyang replied calmly: "Then he would naturally die within the Spiritual Realm and be revived in the north." Zhang Yuanqing mentally cursed, "Crap!" and then heard Fu Qingyang say, "The Sovereign's spiritual realm mission has a long cycle—there's no need to worry about it in the near term. Moreover, since we're holding the people, we have several options: for instance, we can extract their flesh and tissue for future use." That sounded good. That sounded good. He could then wait until the Moksha Eye revived and then curse him to death. Only then did Zhang Yuanqing finally exhale, and asked next, "Have any of the elders been injured?" He had originally intended to ask if anyone had died. "The elders from the Water God's Palace, the Red Flame Sect, and the Stop-Killing Palace have sustained serious injuries. The other three elders have suffered minor wounds," Fu Qingyang replied. Whoa! Zhang Yuanqing took a deep breath in his mind. The Moksha Eye, which has a reach of six, had already seriously injured three people? That was even without any living beings providing the 'frenzied' energy. And among the Four Heavenly Kings of the Commander's Academy, the Moksha Eye seems to rank last—how formidable must the other three be? Indeed, "Rest well now, and prepare calmly for the match. I'm looking forward to your performance." Fu Qingyang hung up the phone. The match was just one week away. He hoped that Xiao Yuan would have already secured a seductive spirit-being by the time the match began. Zhang Yuanqing called back his lively young colleague, settled contentedly into the air-conditioning blanket, and drifted off to sleep.